The Joy Of Children
by 14hpgirl19
Summary: Written for the CCOAC OC Challenge. DEA agent Fulmer Dickey is completely against having children until he talks to the BAU Unit Chief... The one person who should be against having children as well.


**This is my entry for the CCOAC OC Challenge. This is my first challenge and I'm so excited to be a part of it! My assigned OC was DEA agent Fulmer Dickey. I hope you enjoy it! Please leave a review at the end! :)**

DEA agent Fulmer Dickey looked around the Drug Enforcement Administration Headquarters in Arlington Virginia. The crowded office was full of various federal agents from the DEA and the FBI. Phones were ringing off the hook as people tried to get the hectic situation under control. Televisions all around the bullpen showed the news channels displaying the story.

Only a few hours ago, a well-known drug dealer had kidnapped three children from an elementary school in Washington DC. The dealer, Manny DeGarza, was also wanted for four murders.

Ever since the alert had gone up, every law enforcement agency in the immediate area sprung into action. They had a seven-year-old, a six-year-old, and a five-year old-missing, and they needed to find them soon.

An hour after the kids went missing, a team of FBI agents entered the headquarters, led by a very stern looking man in a pressed suit. They introduced themselves as the Behavioral Analysis Unit. The stern looking man was Aaron Hotchner.

Fulmer had heard about Hotchner. He had read all about the Boston Reaper case in the papers, so he knew about Hotchner's attack and what happened to his ex-wife. Dickey felt bad for the guy. A lot of bad things happened to him, and he probably didn't deserve any of it. That was probably why he was so serious.

Fulmer's boss told him the BAU would be working with them on this case. At first, he was confused. Why would they need profilers when they already knew who the culprit was? His boss told him they were there to help figure out where DeGarza was going to take the kids. Dickey didn't know how they could do that, but he wasn't about to judge.

Fulmer turned his head to look at the bulletin board with the missing children's photos. They all looked so young and innocent.

_How could anyone do this kind of thing? _He wondered. It was times like these when he couldn't help but being against having children. He was thirty-one years old, which was the perfect age for becoming a father. God knows his wife wanted kids. She had been begging for them for months now.

It wasn't that Fulmer didn't like kids. Far from it. It was just that with everything he saw due to his job, it was enough to stop him from bringing children into the world. Some things were too horrible to describe, and he didn't want to bring vulnerable boys and girls into this chaotic world.

As if she knew he was thinking of her, Fulmer's wife called at that exact moment. His cell phone went off, which confirmed it was Janice.

Fulmer sighed. He knew what was coming if he picked up the phone. She would ask him if they were making any progress. After he told her no, she would quietly say something like "You'll get him, and you will bring those kids home. You always do, and you always will. You can protect any children we have because that's how amazing you are….."

So on and so forth.

Janice was getting so desperate for kids of her own, she could turn any subject into a good reason for starting a family. Fulmer just didn't want to deal with that right now, so he pressed Ignore on his phone.

"Agent Dickey!" an angry voice yelled across the bullpen. Fulmer spun around to see Agent Hotchner glaring at him from the bulletin board. It was quite obvious that it was not the first time he had called Fulmer's name.

"Sorry, sir," Fulmer said quickly, standing up and rushing to the board. Agent Morgan and Dr. Reid were standing with Hotchner. "I didn't hear you."

"I got that," Hotchner said coldly. "Do you need to take a moment to get your head on straight?"

Fulmer swallowed nervously. Man, Agent Hotchner could be incredibly intimidating when he wanted to. "No sir. I'm fine."

Hotchner gave a tight nod and turned back to the board. "I wanted to ask you if DeGarza had any ties in Georgtown."

"Georgetown? No, I don't believe so. He operates more in the south part of DC."

"Then we need to rethink this whole thing," Morgan said, eying the board. "We need to look to the north."

Fulmer blinked. "Did you not just hear me? I said he operates in the _south._"

"We heard you just fine, Agent," Hotchner said tightly. "But DeGarza knows everyone is after him, and he knows you know where he usually goes, so he's going to change that to throw us off."

Fulmer's cell phone rang again, and he quickly pressed Ignore after confirming that it was Janice. Hotchner eyed him critically, looking displeased at the interruption.

"Do you need to pick that up?" His voice was flat and emotionless.

"No sir," Fulmer said, shaking his head rapidly. The BAU Unit Chief did not look convinced.

"Maybe you should step outside and clear your head," he said in a low voice. "We can try to find these _missing kids_ without you." Fulmer actually shivered at the ice in the man's voice.

"I'm perfectly fine, Agent Hotchner," he said as forcefully as he could. Hotchner opened his mouth to say something else when Agent Prentiss called his name.

"Hotch! We may have something." Hotchner spared Fulmer one more glance before he walked away. Fulmer relaxed slightly and glanced at Morgan.

"Is he always so intense?"

Morgan sighed. "Hotch can be when he wants to, but cases like this rattle him pretty bad."

Fulmer could not imagine a man like Aaron Hotchner being rattled about anything.

"What, abductions?"

"No," Morgan said softly. "Cases with children involved."

* * *

What Prentiss had discovered was that DeGarza had a stepbrother living in the outskirts of Georgetown. Well, what Garcia had discovered. The records were buried pretty deep into the depths of cyberspace, but of course, Garcia found it.

That in addition to the profile was enough to track down DeGarza and the kids. DeGarza was going to trade them for drugs to sell to his clients. They immediately arrested the dealer and returned the children to their parents. Luckily, they were all unscathed.

Fulmer was just turning off his computer when he saw Agent Hotch standing in the corner. He was talking on his cell phone, and for the first time all day, Fulmer saw the man smile.

"I love you too," Fulmer heard Hotch say. _Huh, _he thought. _I guess he managed to move past his ex-wife's death. Good for him._ He saw Hotch hang up and begin to walk out of the bullpen.

"Agent Hotchner?" Fulmer said before he lost his nerve. He had to say this. Hotch stopped walking and eyed him curiously.

"Yes?"

"I-I just wanted to apologize for earlier." At Hotch's confused look, Fulmer quickly said "I wasn't as focused as I should have been, and that endangered the kids."

Hotch's face softened a margin. "It's all right. We found them and got them home safe and sound. It was a good day considering. You did fine work."

_He's in a good mood, _Fulmer thought.

Hotch tilted his head slightly. "If you don't mind me asking, why were you so distracted?"

Fulmer sighed and said, "Child cases are just always hard."

Hotch nodded. "They are for everyone." He got a faraway look in his eyes.

"It just makes me never want to have kids of my own. My wife does though, and she wants me to change my mind." He wasn't sure why he told this man that bit of his life. He hardly knew him.

Hotch refocused on Fulmer. A sympathetic look crossed his face and he sat down at a nearby desk.

"I used to feel the same way," he confided.

"Used to?"

A tiny small appeared on Hotch's face. "My late ex-wife changed my mind."

Fulmer tilted his head. "Do you have kids?"

"A son. His name is Jack. I just talked to him on the phone a few minutes ago."

Fulmer let out a puff of air. "How do you do it?"

"Excuse me?"

"How can you do your job, see those god-awful things, and bring a child into the world?"

Hotch was silent while he contemplated this. Finally he said, "I was against having kids for the longest time. Haley and I weren't even trying. When she did become pregnant, she begged me to go along with it and start a family.

"I was still nervous. Aside for bringing someone into this world of horrors, I didn't know if I could be a good dad. I didn't have the best childhood. My father wasn't there for me, and there were times I had to take care of my little brother all on my own. But for Haley's sake, I kept quiet.

"Then Jack was born, and all my fears went away. There was nothing like seeing my son laying in that little crib in our room. I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Jack is what has gotten me through some of the worst cases I've had thrown at me. If things get tough, I just pull out my phone and look at his picture."

Fulmer bit his lip. "But how can you be sure you're doing a good job with him? I'm not saying you're a bad parent, but you probably don't see him as much as you want to. That's another think I'm worried about, to be honest."

Hotch nodded his understanding. "I don't see him half as much as I want to. When I'm away his aunt stays with him. I've missed so much, yet every time I am home, I dedicate myself to him completely. I sit and watch movies with him. I'll take him to the park. I try to be the best father I can be whenever I can be."

Fulmer smiled a tiny bit. "He must be proud of you."

Hotch let out a tiny chuckle. "I'm his hero."

"And you should be. You're fantastic at your job."

Hotch smiled again, though this time it was a bit bigger. "Thank you."

Fulmer stood up. "No, thank you."

Hotch furrowed his eyebrows. "For what?"

"You've helped me see that this world doesn't have to be awful for our children."

Hotch looked at the floor. "Well, I guess I'm glad I could do that." He stood up and offered Fulmer his hand. "I wish you the best."

Fulmer grasped the man's hand. "Thanks and you too. Now get home to your son."

Hotch smiled and left the bullpen. Fulmer watched him go, and then pulled out his phone, dialing home.

"Sweetheart? Yes, I'm sorry I didn't pick up earlier. We need to talk when I get home. I think I've changed my mind."


End file.
